MoveUP has given FortisBC Gas 72 hours strike notice today. The union represents about 500 members at the utility. The notice was given at the Labour Board where the union and the employer were meeting to discuss essential services.
The union and the company have been engaged in months of negotiations, but have reached an impasse. Fortis is trying to erode the rights and benefits our Gas members currently have in their collective agreement. Here are some of their proposed concessions:
- Wage increase of only 1% per year over three years, leaving our members with less than half what FortisBC Electric and Customer Service Centre employees and IBEW 213 members received;
- Imposition of lesser terms and conditions of employment for new employees;
- Less sick time hours allowed for medical appointments, which would particularly impact people outside the Lower Mainland;
- Reduction of our earned time off; and
- Greater ability for FortisBC to remove jobs from MoveUP members by blurring the lines between jobs at FortisBC Gas and Electric.
We hope not to take job action. We would far rather be at the table, bargaining a fair and reasonable collective agreement. We invite Fortis to drop these concessions to our members’ terms of work and resume negotiations.
If we are forced into job action, we will do everything we can pressure the company but minimize impacts to Fortis’ customers.
We hope the parties will continue to discuss the Essential Service Interim Order.
Media contact:
Sage Aaron
604-317-6153
